Russian movement toward re-sovietizing homosexuality

The legislative assembly approved, in its first reading, a bill which outlawed the promotion of homosexuality, transsexuality and paedophilia to minors.

... not only in Russia but also in other European countries where similar bills are being discussed, such as Lithuania and Ukraine. Because this issue is not only Russian: it is an eastern European one....gay people are being used as scapegoats in Russian politics, where society is still largely homophobic. The St Petersburg initiative, coming just before the parliamentary elections on 4 December, is possibly just aiming to increase the vote for the ailing ruling United Russia party of Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev, but it also creates an atmosphere of hatred in society.

So it looks like the Russians are taking a page from the GWBush/Karl Rove book of using homophobia to bait the populace.

Replies to This Discussion

The fact that this is happening simultaneously in other countries suggests to me the evil hand of the C-Street "The Family" gang might behind this. If so, watch to see of the effort succeeds and if it does, expect to see similar efforts in Western Europe and the United States. They may be seeing how far they can go and get away with it.

Allow elected officials to do whatever they want while holding other elected officials from other countries accountable usually with press releases and the demand that they go to the International Criminal Court the one the USA itself does not accept or abide by but work in with veto power

Let religion rule the laws, allowing them special rights, benefits, and laws to follow

Taking away any "safety net" that once was considered almost a "right", as in...if you are so poor you can't afford to eat, the Gov. steps in and makes sure you starve to death on the street, which happens when countries are run by dictators and corporations

Appointing "elected" officials

Overseeing other countries elections making sure every vote counts, yet not so much here in the USA

Appointing Dictators who are "USA-friendly" into power in countries, even though doing this will make most of the country suffer

As far as I can see.....the USA shows other countries what they can get away with. Lets hope one day when another country decides to act the way the US gov does, and they invade the USA, that they treat we Americans better than the US gov treats civilians in countries they "help" (aka invade, occupy etc.)

It is such a backward step and does zero actual good. I suspect it's a case of 'economy is failing so do something' and this looks like action. The bankers are immoral so let's crack down on immorality is their particualr brand of bonkers. Politicians are panicking because they don't know what to. In the UK the super rich have caused the poor to lose their jobs. Solution: go after the poor for draining the public purse.
I'm in New York this week and I walked down Wall St. Opposite the place where Washington was inaugerated there is a fenced off area in front of the stock exchange guarded by mounted police making sure no one gets to disagree with the staus quo. The people are being refused the right to dissent as Washington looks on. It's appaling the the policitcians get to say when and how we are allowed to disagree with them!

Russia is such a young democracy that doing what's right is sill very often coming second to what is popular. I've seen a few older Russians saying that 'things were never this bad under the communists'. While they were referring primarily to the economy, many appreciate the black and white rules in times of uncertainty. Given the failing euro zone, I expect the right will grow in Europe. "Look what happens when you ignore us!" will be their slogan for the next EU elections. V scary time..

I think all of the stories about reactionary groups being homophobic, is they need SOMEONE to be the scapegoat. Racism and antisemitism are there too, but it's easier to get away with hating LGBT people. They will start their persecution with LGBT people, then immigrants, then racial minorities, and soon the 21st century will make the mid 20th look like KumBahYah eden in comparison. Oh, I hope not, please say it won't happen.

When I was about 15 I read Jerzy Kosinsky's "The Painted Bird". I thought the painted bird was a metaphor about me. I was wrong, but it still made sense.

"The boy, while in the company of a professional bird catcher, observes how the man took one of his captured birds and painted it several colors. Then he released the bird to fly in search of a flock of its kin, but when it came upon them, they saw it as an intruder and tore at the bird until it fell from the sky."